Christmas Star?

Hark! my lover–here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. 

My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! “For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! “O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let me see you; let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:8-14)

Quite the strange and sensual reading!  The December solstice takes place today on Monday, December 21. It marks the Northern Hemisphere's shortest day (first day of winter) and the Southern Hemisphere's longest day (first day of summer).  So, winter is not past.  It is just beginning in our hemisphere. Our springtime-like reading fits the Church south of the equator it would seem.  The solstice also marks another event.

Today Jupiter and Saturn will be closest – only 0.1 degrees apart.  Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years; the last one was in the year 2000. But these conjunctions aren’t all created equal. The 2020 great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623 and the closest observable since 1226!  This extra-close Jupiter-Saturn 2020 conjunction won’t be matched again until the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of March 15, 2080.  

So, for most of us old enough not scheduled to make it to 2080, look skyward and hope the skies are clear.  It might look like the Christmas star that guided the three wise men to baby Jesus.  Who knows?

Deacon David Pierce